Folks Southern Kitchen Atlanta Reviews

I am a big proponent of patronizing local places to eat... so, rather than eating at the local Olive Garden or Chili's we opted for dinner at Folks Southern Kitchen, which has 11 locations and all are exclusive to Georgia.

Since, apparently, 1978, Folks has been aspiring to be the greatest thing in southern cuisine chains since Shoney's or Cracker Barrel - however, I can't say they were any better than Cracker Barrel, and certainly not as good as Shoney's.

The food here is typical "southern-fried" fare - literally, virtually everything is fried. Don't go here if you have a cholesterol problem, because even something seemingly light (mashed potatoes) comes loaded with enough saturated fat to knock you into next week.

Highlights were the Fried Green Tomatoes, Fried Okra, and Meatloaf. Low points were the aforementioned mashed potatoes, and the dry and tasteless cornbread. I am a big cornbread fan, and I have to say, I was very disappointed with Folks' version. My chicken livers were battered and fried, something I (naively, I suppose) didn't expect. It made them heavy and a little well-done for my taste, even if they tasted OK.

One warning to southern-fare novices: the sweet tea. As a southerner myself, I LOVE it. But Folks' bucket-sized peach tea was so sickeningly sugary, I had a tough time getting it down. I guess it's an acquired taste, though... kinda like when you drink a cocktail that is terrible the first time around, then order another and find that the second one (and yes, I did have a second one) goes down pretty easy.

Again, not for the even remotely health-conscious.

Next time, I think I'll try the catfish with hushpuppies and redbeans and rice.

All in all, Folks is comparable to Cracker Barrel or Shoney's, but probably a little cheaper. If you're a fan of this kind of food, then I suggest you give ol' Folks a try instead of the other two, as it's always a good thing to support local places. Just don't expect anything spectacular.